Background & Objectives
- In Tanzania, charcoal is crucial for cooking in urban areas, used by 60.5% of households and valued at USD 1 billion annually. However, its production lacks sustainability and taxation control, leading to environmental damage and deforestation. Efforts to promote alternative cooking technologies face challenges like affordability, availability, and limited investment, compounded by low purchasing power and awareness.EU support aims to improve Tanzania’s cooking energy sector by addressing policy and market barriers. Goals include enhancing livelihoods, empowering women, and mitigating climate impacts through reduced deforestation and effective regulation of charcoal and forest product trade. The initiative will operate nationwide with focused efforts in regions supplying biomass energy to urban centers like Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, and Mwanza.
Activities
- Evaluate past cooking energy programs to avoid duplication and ensure efficient fund allocation. Analyze NGOs’ roles in the charcoal value chain, promote collaboration among stakeholders, and strengthen capacities of LGAs and national NGOs/CSOs through inclusive guidelines and stakeholder meetings for grant application.
- Identify regulatory gaps in forest trade and community management, propose improvements and incentives for producers and traders, assess the need for national forest extension services, estimate costs for technical assistance, analyze capacities of MNRT/TFS for law enforcement and IT improvements, and prepare tender documents for service contracts, including patrol vehicles.
Results
- Guideline for Grant Applicants: Recruitment of NGOs to implement sustainable energy solutions for cooking. Expected Output 1.2: Effective management of forestry resources. Tender Dossier for Technical Assistance: Support MNRT (Forest and Beekeeping Division, Tanzania Forest Services). Expected Output 1.1: Review charcoal production policies, improve law enforcement. Includes equipment such as patrol vehicles and tools. Tender Dossier for Service Contract: Assist Ministry of Energy (MoE) in awareness campaign design. Focus: Behavioral change towards clean cooking solutions in Tanzania. Proceedings of Information Session: Address queries and clarifications related to the tenders.
